Some terrible incidents that take place out there suggest that the milk of human kindness has turned sour inside many parents.
Instead of having mercy on their children, some parents treat them like dolls they can move here and there as they please. And when the dolls disobey orders even once, they are punished.
Some merciless parents treat their children violently and even beat them savagely, as if they were taking revenge on the children. These parents do not understand what it means to be responsible for the upbringing of children and ushering in a new generation of good citizens.
One father hit his two-year-old daughter on the head just because she had difficulty learning how to walk. One mother killed her seven-year-old son because his poor mental abilities hindered his memorization of the holy Quran. Another father slapped his four-year-old son in the face only because the son wanted the father to buy him a doll from the supermarket. The child’s eyes were full of tears, but he wept in silence. A third father scalded his daughter when she committed a mistake, causing deformities in her body, and refused to take the eight-year-old girl to hospital. Stories abound about such violence committed against children.
This is bizarre behaviour from parents who forget that these are young creatures. They forget that parents have to offer care without resorting to violence.
But violence is a way of life in some families where the behaviour of the parents contradicts both social and religious values. This erodes stability in these families and ultimately destroys them.
Apart from physical violence, children are also vulnerable to psychological violence by their parents. Sometimes, children are subjected to humiliation, and when they speak out, their parents deny it, but also promise retribution.
Mothers sometimes mock their children and talk about their failings in front of guests. At other times these mothers rebuke the children in front of guests for a simple mistake. They call the children names and yell at them when they are disobedient. These mothers go the extra mile of discussing their children’s mistakes with their schoolmates, even if the mistakes were unintentional. This, however, causes the children to lose self-confidence.
Our children are the most precious thing we have in life. We must take care of them in order to give them the right upbringing, one that provides them safety and makes good citizens out of them. We need not create a mentally and psychologically deformed generation that is not able to fulfil its responsibilities.
Our country offers whatever it takes for children to be brought up well. It provides education and health and social care. It has even created institutions for the rehabilitation of victims of violence so that they can lead secure and stable lives.
God has made us responsible for our children. What are we going to say in the afterlife when we are asked about whether we carried out our duties in this regard?
